One Summer Day
by Fading Butterfly Wings
Summary: Claire's dream takes a dramatic turn when she is thrust into a real-life nightmare. Rated simply for the theme. Oneshot.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Many moons ago I decided I wanted to take on the challenge of writing a kidnap fic, a topic that is rarely explored in the Harvest Moon fandom. My plan was to write from the POV of the spouse of the kidnapped character and follow their psychological descent into semi-insanity as they desperately searched for the love of their life. (I can get mad deep, yo.)**

**However, silly little me simply couldn't resist playing around with the kidnapp_ee_'s POV and decided I liked doing that much better. Therefore, I have decided to post this story as an exciting, cliff-hanging sort of oneshot rather than continue it as a dramatic longfic.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon... or Dulce and Gabbana. ;)**

***UPDATE* I have made some MAJOR changes to the story as well as deciding to enter it in The Village Square's monthly contest with the topic being Dreams. Yippee. :D**

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><p><em>"The best thing about dreams is that fleeting moment when you are between asleep and awake, when you don't know the difference between reality and fantasy, when for just that one moment you feel within your entire soul that it really happened." ~Anonymous<em>

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><p>All I remember before it happened was dreaming about summer.<p>

I was stretched out with my tummy down on the hot beach sand, sporting my new baby blue tankini and Dulce and Gabbana shades. My lips were curved upwards with a lazy sort of pleasure, and the only noise around me was that of chattering seagulls and the high tide rolling in. Needless to say, I was enjoying every moment of my solitude.

After a few moments I turned my head from its place on my folded arms to admire my back, which was the creamy brown shade of pancakes. My eyes then traveled to my shoulders and immediately my smile melted into a frown as I observed my hideous farmer's tan in dismay. I vowed silently to go bare shoulder the rest of the season before closing my eyes again and falling into a deep sleep.

A strange creaking noise woke me from my peaceful slumber, which I assumed was merely the sound of someone taking a stroll along the pier. Soon after this happened the breeze suddenly picked up as cold raindrops began pelting my arms and legs.

I shivered and braced myself against the cruel weather, hoping that it was merely a passing storm. In a matter of seconds the breeze had turned into a violent gale and the number of raindrops had severely multiplied. I rolled over onto my back and was lifting my arms to shield my face from the onslaught when I felt a sudden pull on my arm.

"Zack?" I murmured. I couldn't think of anyone else who would be stupid enough to roam the beach during a freak storm like this. His movements suddenly became more frantic, his fingers groping my sides as though trying to get a firm hold. Perhaps he was trying to rescue me.

"I'm fine, Zack," I moaned. "Just leave me alone."

Another sharp tug on my arm brought me from Mineral Town's shorelines into my own dimly lit home and into a situation even my wildest imagination couldn't have conjured.

I was in the arms of a large-nosed, hairy-faced intruder. Before my mind could register what was going on I found myself being forcefully dragged from beneath my warm quilts and across the threshold of my living room. It took a few seconds of grunting and fumbling with the doorknob before the man was finally able to open the door and shove my ragdoll-like body through it.

I landed on my hands and knees in about a foot of newly fallen snow. Stunned by the feeling of bitter coldness that had suddenly flooded through my body, I found myself unable to move from this position. My mind screamed all sorts of commands at me- _run, scream, fight, hide- _but I simply remained motionless as though frozen to the spot.

The next thing I knew was a frighteningly large arm wrapped around my chest while another was being used to smother my frantic screams for help. Through the cracks in the man's fingers I saw that my house was slowly shrinking further and further into the distance.

I squirmed uselessly in the man's grasp as my mind raced with jumbled thoughts much like the way the snow was swirling around us. The only vague conclusion I could piece from them was that I was being kidnapped. Beyond that basic fact I was utterly clueless...

...except for the fact that I _had_ to escape, no matter what the costs.

My first attempt consisted of digging my heels into the snow with the hopes that my feet would work as brakes. However, this was only a minor annoyance to my kidnapper and he quickly fixed it by propping me higher up against his back side.

So I decided to resort to a more primitive survival technique. I began kicking my feet and flailing my arms about in a rather loosey-goosey fashion, much like a small child throwing a tantrum. My kidnapper cursed as he struggled to keep my twisting body in his grip. In response I fought even harder, even going so far as to sink my teeth into his hand.

After a few minutes of intense struggling my kidnapper finally released his hold on me with an angry shout. Believing I had won the battle, I began to tear madly back in the direction we had come with thoughts of taking refuge in the nearest home.

It wasn't until several steps later that I realized I had no idea where I was going.

I skidded to a halt and began frantically inspecting my surroundings with the hopes of gaining some sense of where I was. The wind howled in my ears and lashed at my face with an icy vengeance that made it painful to keep my eyes open. Finally I spotted a familiar-looking landmark- the lumberjack's house. My heart filled with hope. Surely Gotz could save me from my attacker.

I decided that at this point the best tactic was to cover my eyes and make a run for it. Once I tripped and lost feeling in both my hands _and_ feet due to the iciness of the snow that met them, but I refused to give up and simply hauled myself up from the ground and kept going. _Get to safety, get to safety, get to safety,_ my mind ordered.

I was but a few inches away from the front door when I heard footsteps behind me. Panicking, I threw my entire weight against the doorframe and began to scream. "Gotz! Help me! _Please_!"

_"Gotcha!"_

I shrieked and doubled over as a rough pair of hands seized me from behind. Infuriated at allowing myself to fall so easily back into my kidnapper's hands, I clenched my fists and thrust my body forward.

"Let...me..._go_!" I cried, lunging for yet another attempt at escape. Surprisingly my kidnapper complied, and I found myself soaring freely through the air for a few glorious seconds...

...and was immediately brought back down to earth by a sharp tug on the cuff of my pant leg.

I landed face down in the snow and found both my mouth and nostrils full of the stuff. My kidnapper laughed maliciously as he reeled my limp body back to him. "Thought you could get away from me, huh?" he sneered. He then stood me up, locked his sturdy arms around my chest, and lifted me up off the ground like I weighed no more than a sack of grain.

With my arms folded under his and my wet feet dangling above the ground, I was now completely powerless in my kidnapper's grasp. Calling for help was useless at this point- Gotz's house was now but a blur in the distance. A tear crystallized in the corner of my eye as I hung my head and surrendered.

I wasn't lowered back to earth again until what seemed like hours later. Once my feet touched the ground my kidnapper made sure to tie a piece of wool around my head, cutting off both my vision and speech ("just in case I decided to get feisty"), but his precautionary measures were unnecessary. By this point I had neither the energy nor the willpower to even attempt another escape.

After a few more minutes of being dragged through snow with my arms latched to my sides, I was suddenly thrust forward into what seemed like empty space. I stumbled around blindly for a few seconds before my kidnapper sighed in annoyance, grabbed me by the shoulders, and sat me down hard against what I guessed to be some sort of wooden post. He then yanked my hands behind my back and fastened them together with what felt like thick rope.

Blind, mute, and tethered like a horse to a tree, all I had left to cling to now was my crippled pride... and there wasn't much left.

"Who are you?" I demanded, my voice strangled with emotion.

My kidnapper silently began working at the knot he had tied the cloth at the back of my head. After a few minutes it loosened and he pulled it roughly from my face.

It took several seconds for my eyes and ears to adjust to their freedom from the itchy impediment. Black stars scattered from my sight and the ringing in my ears dulled until I could finally clearly see my kidnapper's face and hear his laughter.

My mind suddenly became clouded with shock, rage, and most importantly, confusion. But before my mouth could form the word "Why...?", consciousness began slowly ebbing away from my body, taking with it every emotion I had felt since I entered this nightmare and leaving behind a strange, hollow sort of peace.

_Perhaps_, I thought sleepily as I slumped against the post I was tied to, _perhaps this entire horrific experience is merely an elaborate trick my mind is playing on me, and soon I'll wake up and find myself surrounded by the sultry summer air once again._

I could only hope.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, so I know these things technically are against the rules, but I'm only gonna leave it up for a few days, I swear. For those of you that alerted this story and were disappointed to learn that I only intended it as a oneshot, good news! I plan on posting a "sequel" of sorts in the hopefully near future. :) It's going to be a crossover with Rune Factory and the title will (most likely) be "Whisked Away", so keep your eyes peeled if you're interested in reading it. If you have any questions and/or concerns, please reply to this via private message because doing it in a review would just look tacky. :P Thanks!**

**~Butterfly**


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